Borders? We don’t need no stinking borders. You didn’t really think I’d go all the way to St. Martin and sit on the beach all week, right? Well I’ve done a bit of that too, and I’ll focus some attention there in my next post. However, today it’s all about all the awesome border crossings adventures I’ve experienced on this very compact island. As I’ve mentioned before, and as most of you knew long ago, an international border splits the island of St. Martin. The northern portion belongs to France and the southern portion belongs to the Netherlands.
Visitors would find it tough to know they’ve crossed an international border without a couple of strategically placed markers. There are few other roadside formalities. Sure, there are changes in official languages, currency, electrical voltages, vehicle license plates, etc., from one side of the island to the other. Even so the evidence is rather more subtle if one is simply driving along within the general border area.
Overview
I’ll cover my crossings from west to east on this embedded map.
I think I’ve hit most of the major road-accessible borders on St. Martin except for the farthest western spot. That one sits between the Lowlands and Terres Basses, on the western swing around Simpson Bay Lagoon. Frankly, I don’t want to go back towards the airport after suffering through traffic congestion immediately upon our arrival. There, a drawbridge goes up several times a day. It lets mega-yachts into the lagoon and it gridlocks road traffic nearby for a half hour at a shot.
We’ve spent most of our time on the French side far away from the large resorts and casinos. Frankly, I’m not keen on going back into the crowds. I’ll declare my border hopping efforts “close enough” for my purposes. So the border might have a marker at its westernmost point or it might not but I’ll leave that for someone else to report. Now you have a reason to visit, too!
Mount Concordia
I saw two large obelisk-shaped border markers along major roads between the French and Dutch sides. I encountered the first one soon after leaving the airport (once I got through the traffic), at Mount Concordia. We were heading between Cole Bay and the island’s French capital of Marigot.
It bears the dates 1648 and 1948. The first date represents the negotiation of the Treaty of Concordia. That’s when the two nations decided to split the island rather than fight for it after Spain abandoned it. The second date commemorates the passage of three centuries of friendly relations. So they placed this obelisk here at that time to celebrate their tricentennial.
Between Philipsburg and Quartier d’Orléans
The second obelisk appears on the route between Philipsburg, the capital on the Dutch side, and Quartier d’Orléans on the French side. This one features the 1648 notation for the same reason mentioned previously. A small convenience store sits directly on the Dutch side, providing easy parking to access the marker.
Riding the Border
The road between the eastern obelisk and Oyster Pond provides a unique opportunity along its final stretches as one nears the ocean. I’ve consulted a number of maps. It seems as if the road either straddles the border for a segment, parallels the border on the Dutch side, or crosses back and forth several times by a few feet. In any case it’s very close to riding the border. For example, take the image above. Heading away from Oyster Pond moving west, the left is Dutch territory and the right is French.
We’d just spent much of the day at the beach so my wife was in a pretty good mood. She was willing to not only indulge my border hopping escapades but to serve as my official photographer as I drove. She said, and I quote, “Your little geo-geeks will love this stuff.” I know I do. I hope that’s true for you too.
Oyster Pond
Visitors can cross the border at the easternmost road right at Oyster Pond. However it doesn’t have an obelisk. Rather, it features a simple wooden sign, “Bienvenue en Partie Française / Welcome to the French Side”. Otherwise it’s not particularly remarkable. Oddly, I didn’t see a similar sign welcoming one to the Dutch side. Either I missed it, or it fell over, or the French have a more welcoming approach.
Captain Oliver’s
There is one more border oddity, and this is the best one. At the farthest point of Oyster Pond, where the road simply can’t go any further due to the ocean, one finds Captain Oliver’s Resort. They take justifiable pride in their geographic placement. The hotel sits on the French side and the restaurant and marina fall on the Dutch side. So the harbor waters belong to the Netherlands and the resort placed their restaurant on pilings above the waters intentionally. Diners must cross an “international bridge” to get into the restaurant.
I didn’t find out about this place until after I arrived here. Otherwise I would have seriously considered staying at Captain Oliver’s simply for the geo-oddity joy. Maybe next time.
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